Sanitary garments



1964 l. A. LOCHRENBERG 3,120,844

SANITARY GARMENTS Filed June 50, 1961 INVENTOR Isna cLLn f bfllnm L OCHREIJB EQ BY g /MW v ATTORNEYS United States Patent f 3,120,844 SANETARY GARMENTS Isabella Adriana Lochrenberg, l6 Tindaie Road, East London, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa Filed lune St), was, Ser. No. 121,112 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa Dec. 6, 196i) 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-291) This invention relates to protective clothing of the kind usually employed for preventing garments from being soiled by imperfectly fitting sanitary pads or napkins.

Very many shapes of sanitary pads and carriers therefor have been made the object being to provide maximum protection of the garments while affording the wearer adequate comfort. For example, knickers have been made with a waterproof crotch and there have been other similar applications. Certain forms of plastic materials being soft and waterproof have been found very suitable for use in the manufacture of said garments but other plastic material used, for example in buttons or clips, have been found to irritate the skin and although useful in their application have given the wearer discomfort. Again the adequate support of the pad has often been lacking; the pad must be held without any tendency to tip and the belt and supporting straps must readily conform, as far as possible, to the shape of the body of the wearer to avoid them rolling up during wear; any such rolling often leads to discomfort.

The object of this invention is to provide an article which is light and comfortable to wear, not easily discernable through the outer garments; which reduces the possibility of clothing being soiled and which does not irritate the skin of the wearer.

The garment protector according to this invention comprises an open waterproof blunt ended boat shaped waterproof container for a pad or napkin, means for securing said pad in place, a main supporting strap attached to each end of the container, a waist belt shaped to curve downwardly to form a V front and back, means attaching each main strap to the waist belt at the apex of a V, subsidiary straps attached to each end of the container on either side of each main strap and also fastened to the waist belt in pairs on each side and approximately midway between the attachment of the main straps.

The invention also provides a clip for temporarily holding the pad secured at each end of the container and protecting means to prevent the clips making contact with the skin of the wearer.

The invention further provides for the edges of the container and the straps to be covered with mate-rial to prevent irritation of the skin of the wearer.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a View of the garment in perspective,

FIG. 2 is a front view of the garment drawn on a smaller scale, and

FIG. 3 is a side View of FIG. 2.

In the drawings 11 is a boat shaped container made of a soft waterproof material such as nylon. The ends 12 of container 11 are fastened to straps 13.

The ends 12 as shown have shoulders 14 to which auxiliary straps 15 are attached. The ends of straps 15 are attached at 16 to a waist belt 17.

The waist belt 17 is an elastic band shaped to curve down over the hips of the wearer so as to have a V form 13 at either end, that is, back and front.

The edges 19 of the boat shaped container 11 may be protected if necessary with soft material and also the edges of the straps 15.

Inside the container 11 at the ends 12 are secured clips 26 shown in dotted lines and made of plastic of the well 3,120,844 Patented Feb. 11, 1964 1 known shape, for fastening the ends of a pad lying in the bottom of boat shape container 11. As these clips 20 might irritate the skin of the wearer a flap 21 of soft material such as nylon is fixed to cover the clips 20.

In use the container ill is supported in position between the legs of the wearer by straps 13 fastened to a waist belt 17. The straps 13 are sewn or otherwise secured to the ends of the container 11 and extend upwardly to the waist belt 17. The waist belt 17 is constructed to curve downwardly from the hips to form a V-shape 18 front and back and the boat shaped container ii. is attached to hang from the bottom of the VS.

In order to prevent lateral and other movement of the container when it is being worn, two further pairs of straps 15 are provided. These straps 15 are secured at 14 to the ends of the longitudinal. edges all of the container ill on either side of the main supporting straps 1-3 and each pair is united at 16 and fastened to the right and left hand side of the waist belt 17 so that when the container is worn such straps 15 pass upwardly on the outside of the legs and in the groin from the crotch to the waist. In this manner the container 11 is provided with a six point support. Scarf joints are used in attaching the straps to make the article as inconspicuous as possible.

When the article has to be worn, a sanitary napkin or pad is placed within the container I l with the ends attached to the fastening means 24 The wearer simply steps into spaces 22 in the protector and adjusts the later to a comfortable position with the arms of the front V18 of the waist belt 17 fitting above, and the auxiliary straps 15 about the groin. It is found that the waist belt 17 shaped and worn as described will keep flat and the tendency for it to roll up during wear is avoided.

The particular shape of the container and attaching means therein enables the wearer to change sanitary pads or napkins without difliculty.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A garment protector comprising a blunt ended boatshap-ed container for a pad or napkin having smooth edges, rigid plastic hooks within the end portions of the container and each hook secured to an end of the container, said books including releasable means for connection to the ends of said pad and temporarily securing it in place within said container, soft nylon cover means extending completely over said hooks so that said hooks are concealed between said cover means and said container, edge portions of said cover means secured to end edges of said container so that sai dcover means comprise flaps that may be folded away from said container to expose said hooks, a short main supporting strap attached to each end of the container adjacent said rigid connector hooks, an endless elastic one-piece waist belt preformed to curve downwardly to form a V-shaped front and back without buckling and wrinkling when worn, each V-shaped front and back having an apex and means attaching one end of each main strap to the waist belt at one of said apexes, two pairs of subsidiary straps, the lower ends of each pair of said subsidiary straps attached to an end of the container on either side of the main strap directly adjacent thereto, the upper ends of each pair of subsidiary straps fastened to the waist belt at a pair of points on each side of and approximately midway between the main straps whereby the pair of straps on each side of the container have overlapping upper ends secured together, and the subsidiary straps connected to one end of the container adapted to fit within the folds of the groin of the wearer when the garment protector is worn.

2. A garment protector as defined in claim 1, wherein the container is composed of nylon and the ends of all 3 4 said straps are permanently secured to said container and 1,245,655 Allen I Nov. 6, 1917 said belt. 1,599,648 Cochran Sept. 14, 1926 2,657,690 Maiden Nov. 3, 1953 References Jitefi in the file of this patent 2,904,046 De Woskin Sept. 15, 1959 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN A NTS 290,319 Chittenden Dec. 18, 1883 5 9 431 France 9 1923 595,861 Parker 21, 1897 386,241 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1933 1,110,674 Des Rosiers Sept. 15, 1914 

1. A GARMENT PROTECTOR COMPRISING A BLUNT ENDED BOATSHAPED CONTAINER FOR A PAD OR NAPKIN HAVING SMOOTH EDGES, RIGID PLASTIC HOOKS WITHIN THE END PORTIONS OF THE CONTAINER AND EACH HOOK SECURED TO AN END OF THE CONTAINER, SAID HOOKS INCLUDING RELEASABLE MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO THE ENDS OF SAID PAD AND TEMPORARILY SECURING IT IN PLACE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, SOFT NYLON COVER MEANS EXTENDING COMPLETELY OVER SAID HOOKS SO THAT SAID HOOKS ARE CONCEALED BETWEEN SAID COVER MEANS AND SAID CONTAINER, EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID COVER MEANS SECURED TO END EDGES OF SAID CONTAINER SO THAT SAID COVER MEANS COMPRISE FLAPS THAT MAY BE FOLDED AWAY FROM SAID CONTAINER TO EXPOSE SAID HOOKS, A SHORT MAIN SUPPORTING STRAP ATTACHED TO EACH END OF THE CONTAINER ADJACENT SAID RIGID CONNECTOR HOOKS, AN ENDLESS ELASTIC ONE-PIECE WAIST BELT PREFORMED TO CURVE DOWNWARDLY TO FORM A V-SHAPED FRONT AND BACK WITHOUT BUCKLING AND WRINKLING WHEN WORN, EACH V-SHAPED FRONT AND BACK HAVING AN APEX AND MEANS ATTACHING ONE END OF EACH MAIN STRAP TO THE WAIST BELT AT ONE OF SAID APEXES, TWO PAIRS OF SUBSIDIARY STRAPS, THE LOWER ENDS OF EACH PAIR OF SAID SUBSIDIARY STRAPS ATTACHED TO AN END OF THE CONTAINER ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MAIN STRAP DIRECTLY ADJACENT THERETO, THE UPPER ENDS OF EACH PAIR OF SUBSIDIARY STRAPS FASTENED TO THE WAIST BELT AT A PAIR OF POINTS ON EACH SIDE OF AND APPROXIMATELY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE MAIN STRAPS WHEREBY THE PAIR OF STRAPS ON EACH SIDE OF THE CONTAINER HAVE OVERLAPPING UPPER ENDS SECURED TOGETHER, AND THE SUBSIDIARY STRAPS CONNECTED TO ONE END OF THE CONTAINER ADAPTED TO FIT WITHIN THE FOLDS OF THE GROIN OF THE WEARER WHEN THE GARMENT PROTECTOR IS WORN. 